2025 Texas wildfires


The 2025 Texas wildfires were a series of wildfires that burned throughout the U.S. state of Texas.

Background

Dormant fire season

From Mid-February to Mid-April, vegetation is often dead or dormant. Combined with dry winds, low humidity, and La Niña-related conditions, fuels can ignite more easily—and once started, fires spread rapidly due to these atmospheric patterns. This timeframe sees elevated wildfire activity in the absence of vegetation green-up.
Brad Smith of Texas A&M Forest Service notes this aligns with La Niña cycles, which intensify dryness and wind in winter into spring.

Growing-season peak

From March to May, as vegetation greens up and then dries, especially after a wet winter, the combination of abundant grass fuel, warmer, drier weather, and occasional lightning can ignite severe wildfires. These months contribute to a significant proportion of the state's largest fires.

Year-round risk

Over time, Texas has seen a trend toward year-round wildfire risk, driven by changing land use, climate trends, and increased human activity. According to Fire Chief Wes Moorehead, what used to be two distinct seasons have blurred, as fire conditions now show up in all months. This is further compounded by climate change, which has extended "fire weather"—days combining heat, dryness, and wind—raising wildfire potential across the state.

Summary

Texas's 2025 wildfire season began early, with dry fuels, strong winds, and low humidity contributing to heightened fire danger across many regions. In March, several major grass and brush fires ignited across the Texas Panhandle and Central Texas.
One of the most significant fires was the Crabapple Fire in Gillespie County, which burned about 9,858 acres and destroyed or threatened numerous structures. The fire was fully contained by March 21.
As the season progressed, dry vegetation and drought stress increasingly primed much of East and Central Texas for fire outbreaks. Governor Greg Abbott recently raised the state’s Wildland Fire Preparedness Level to Level 3 in response to wildfire activity exceeding 3,000 acres in recent weeks.
Texas A&M Forest Service reports that in a recent reporting period, they responded to 25 new fire incidents burning 379.2 acres statewide, indicating that while many fires are small, the environment remains capable of producing larger events.
State and federal agencies remain on heightened alert, as much of the eastern half of Texas currently has dry vegetation and elevated fire potential. The Texas Fire Potential Update indicates that Central and East Texas will see moderate initial attack fire potential, with short windows of higher danger where conditions allow.

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than, produced significant structural damage, or resulted in casualties.
NameCountyAcresStart dateContainment dateNotesRef.
Blue HillsHutchinson, Moore3,9001 2 20254 2 2025
MiddletonChambers3,08916 2 202518 2 2025
Twin OryxLa Salle2,1564 3 20256 3 2025
Welder ComplexSan Patricio7754 3 20258 3 2025Damaged multiple structures and caused four injuries.
WindmillOchiltree, Lipscomb, Roberts23,28714 3 202520 3 2025
Rest AreaGray, Donley7,93114 3 202516 3 2025
CrabappleGillespie9,85815 3 202521 3 2025
PersimmonJefferson1,69116 3 202519 3 2025
High LonesomeDallam23,33518 3 202520 3 2025
Pauline RoadSan Jacinto, Montgomery2,42119 3 202526 3 2025
Salt LakeBrazoria1,02530 7 20251 8 2025
TuleSwisher, Briscoe2,5484 10 20255 10 2025Included two grass fires that burned west of Silverton.